Draal
| Draal | |
|---|---|
| Babylon 5 character | |
| First appearance | A Voice in the Wilderness |
| Last appearance | Voices of Authority |
| Portrayed by |
Louis Turenne (A Voice in the Wilderness) John Schuck (All subsequent appearances) |
| Information | |
| Species | Minbari |
| Home planet | Minbar |
| Affiliated with | Great Machine |
Draal is a fictional character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played first by Louis Turenne and later by John Schuck.
In his first appearance in A Voice in the Wilderness, Draal was played by Louis Turenne. Feeling that he had no place in modern Minbari society, he set out to visit his former student Delenn on Babylon 5 one final time before leaving to go "to the sea." During his visitation, the planet Epsilon III was experiencing geological instability, which threatened the orbital trajectory of the space station. It was discovered shortly thereafter that the planet housed a massive, globe-spanning mechanical system called the Great Machine, which was failing due to the terminal health of its supervisor, a lone alien named Varn. Because the Great Machine required a sentient mind to function as its central operating system, Varn's declining health was causing systematic failures that threatened the planet's integrity. Draal, reinvigorated by a sense of purpose and the opportunity to assist others in a way he no longer could on Minbar, gladly and willingly offered to take Varn's place as the custodian of the Great Machine. He then utilized the planet's defenses to destroy the violent separatists of Varn's species who had returned to take back its weapon systems.
Once in place, Draal's presence restored the planet to a stable condition and warned all of Babylon 5 station personnel to refrain from landing on the surface; he intended to preserve Varn's mission to protect the advanced technology from misuse, and thus, barred anyone from journeying to the planet until they were ready. Draal indicated that the machine had a role to fill in some future event, and that he would come to them when ready.
The next year, Draal appeared to Captain John Sheridan and put the Great Machine at the disposal of Sheridan and his allies in the fight against the Shadows. Louis Turenne was unable to reprise the role of Draal, so John Schuck was selected to play the role of Draal. The difference in appearance between the two men was explained by having the Great Machine restore Draal's health and appearance, making him appear 30 years younger. In the meantime Draal had discovered that he was not alone on the planet, that there were others there who helped take care of the Great Machine, one of them a being named Zathras.
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